Unfortunately, the moment the subject was brought up, idiots came knocking.
Someone came to notify Pei Ning and Guan Qian. “Miss Pei, Miss Guan, the City Lord requests your presence.”
The “City Lord” was, naturally, Zhang Long, the person in charge of the Ao’long Base. Every time the two heard that title, they felt inexplicably awkward.
How long had it even been since the apocalypse began? Even with all the suffering brought by the disaster, it still wasn’t enough to make people forget everything from before the apocalypse so quickly.
The title of “City Lord”—a self-appointed designation used by someone who had carved out his own territory—made his ambitions obvious at a glance.
Of course, this wasn’t a problem unique to the Ao’long Base. Across the country, there were plenty of people dreaming of becoming local emperors in the various bases, large and small.
All kinds of bizarre titles had cropped up. More than a few places had even secretly staged ceremonies that looked as though an emperor were ascending the throne. Some were even more outrageous, using religion to brainwash people and consolidate their rule.
The leaders of certain bases directly styled themselves as gods. They took advantage of the disaster and the people’s fear to brainwash the inhabitants, then wantonly exploited and oppressed them while eliminating all dissenters. There were quite a few twisted bases like that.
Sometimes, when Pei Liang happened to see certain religious bases through her Heavenly Eye, gathering outside to worship and perform their daily rituals, she felt her eyes burn. They were nothing but a bunch of brain-dead morons.
There was one such place not far away, either—the outlying town base near the Harbor Base back then.
Its geography was somewhat unusual. Since it was close to a major city, it had been a popular choice for out-of-town workers who bought homes and settled there. Property prices had been high, and countless developments had sprung up in recent years.
Naturally, the population density was considerable. On top of that, a fairly large resort park stood there.
The park was surrounded by water on three sides. At the main entrance, simply lowering the gates or closing the floodgates could cut off the passage and turn the whole place into an isolated island.
When survivors fled into the park and faced the apocalypse in a state of panic, certain people took advantage of the situation to stir them up. After purging dissenters, carrying out punishments and sacrifices, and going through all manner of religious rites, the place had become a religious kingdom in a mere two weeks by the time Pei Liang’s team had finished clearing the city center and expanded outward in all directions.
The Cult Patriarch at its head not only enjoyed being worshiped by his followers all day long and held absolute power over life and death within the base, he had even taken five or six wives.
He acted just like an emperor. They even had ranks equivalent to an empress and consorts, though the titles were different.
But a loser was still a loser. No matter how fervently he incited his fanatical followers to resist to the death, Pei Liang’s side possessed overwhelming strength.
In barely the time it took to eat a meal, they had destroyed the base and dragged out the so-called Cult Patriarch like a chick being snatched up.
Then, in full view of everyone, they stripped him naked and made him parade through the streets—his body a mass of flab, his ugliness laid bare, while he wept, drooled, and begged for mercy.
Faced with the Cult Patriarch in such a state, even the most fanatical believers’ faith collapsed.
Besides, on the way back to the base, Pei Liang and her companions killed anyone who stood in their way, even gods themselves if necessary. When zombies came, they cut through them as casually as slicing melons and chopping vegetables.
At last, everyone came to their senses. That so-called Fat-Pig Cult Patriarch had merely been praying that the zombies would leave them alone. The people before them, however, faced zombies with the effortless confidence of farmers harvesting a field of leeks.
After returning to the base, the survivors were given psychological counseling and made to review socialism, the Core Socialist Values, anti-feudalism, opposition to superstition, and other such lessons. Only then were they reintegrated into society and assigned jobs.
Pitifully, the Cult Patriarch’s dream of becoming the emperor of his own little kingdom was smashed to pieces in less than half a month. He hadn’t even had time to warm the chair beneath him before the whole thing came crashing down. The funniest part was that they found a management journal in his study—his plans had already extended to passing the position of “emperor” down through his descendants for generations to come.
But aside from this unfortunate base, the other religious bases would likely meet a similar fate, because Pei Ning knew exactly what her sister’s attitude was.
The type she hated most were bases like this. Once they were taken down, rehabilitating and re-educating their fanatical followers was an enormous hassle, adding a pile of work for no reason.
The topic had strayed a little, but in short, anyone putting on this kind of show was, without exception, up to no good.
Put it this way: the only reason these people currently dared to act in secret—and didn’t dare give themselves overly grandiose titles—was that the Harbor Base stood at the top of the food chain.
Those people didn’t dare act recklessly, and the leader of Harbor Base, Pei Liang, managed things in a fairly official manner. She had simply replicated the order that existed before the apocalypse, and on the surface, showed no desire to rule as a dictator. She presented herself as an upright, righteous figure.
The heads of the other bases all sneered at this. Those who didn’t believe her act thought she was hiding her ambitions deep beneath the surface; those who did believe her merely thought that women were indeed incapable of going far. Even when given the chance to rise above the rest and see the bigger picture, she still lacked the grand vision necessary for true greatness.
But regardless, since the top dog had chosen to present herself this way, anyone arrogant enough to step into the limelight was simply asking to die.
Once the threat posed by the zombies subsided and the various bases became stable, who could say she wouldn’t invoke the greater good to purge everyone else who practiced dictatorship and exploitation?
She already had all the justification she needed. So everyone thought that woman was cunning—but they still didn’t dare cross the line.
Anyone who did was either brainless or a fool who had no idea how vast the sky was or how deep the earth ran.
As they spoke, Guan Qian and Pei Ning arrived at the place where Zhang Long was staying.
The automatic doors opened, revealing that, besides Zhang Long, several of the base’s other principal leaders were there as well.
Before the apocalypse, Zhang Long’s residence had been the tallest landmark in the city. It housed all manner of upscale restaurants, entertainment clubs, and top-tier studios.
They were currently in the presidential suite of a sky-high hotel. Before the apocalypse, one night here had cost nearly two hundred thousand yuan.
The enormous windows, stretching from floor to ceiling across two hundred and seventy degrees, offered a bird’s-eye view of the entire city. Beneath a massive, luxurious crystal chandelier, a rugged-looking man sat on a circular leather sofa.
Two seductively dressed beauties leaned against him, while one or two women sat beside each of the others as well. There was every type imaginable, from petite to voluptuous, mature to young.
Guan Qian frowned slightly. Although she wielded considerable influence and held a high position within the base, she still felt uncomfortable every time she witnessed a scene like this.
What was more, the women were almost never the same group from one visit to the next. In other words, nearly all the attractive women in the entire base were under their control.
Previously, whenever she and Pei Ning were present, the men would tactfully send the women away before discussing business. But today, they hadn’t.
When he saw them enter, Zhang Long smiled. His attitude appeared unchanged, but his actions held a subtle difference.
One man even had his hand inside the clothes of the woman beside him. The seductive woman let out a sultry, soul-stirring whimper—enough to make any woman uncomfortable.
Yet they showed no sign of stopping.
Guan Qian sneered inwardly. However unwilling she was to admit that Pei Liang had been right, she could only concede defeat.
Even if one endured their arrogance by the standards of the original novel and tried to focus on their abilities to offset the inferiority of their character, these people would still leave one disappointed.
Their shortsightedness was simply astonishing.
Of course, that was not to say Zhang Long and the others had no merits. They acted decisively and stopped at nothing. No matter what kind of plot or scheme it was, as long as it was useful, they could employ it without the slightest hesitation.
There was no need to mention their combat ability or courage, either. They were the proactive type when facing zombies, capable of extracting every possible advantage and greedily absorbing it as nourishment for themselves.
Otherwise, they would never have been able to develop the base to its current size in such a short time. There were many bases, large and small, throughout the country. A great many people had seized power through sheer luck, but once a base surpassed a certain scale and size, the role of luck became increasingly minor.
There was no doubt that they were capable.
But everything was relative!
At that moment, Guan Qian even began to feel that, by comparison, Pei Liang’s arrogance had become rather endearing.
Pei Ning’s reaction, however, was far more composed. Guan Qian felt somewhat conflicted. Although Pei Ning’s usefulness had now vanished, and her situation was even more precarious than Guan Qian’s, Pei Ning seemed to possess a confidence that came from nowhere.
The woman was utterly relaxed.
After sitting down, she even said to Zhang Long, “Brother Zhang, did you call us here today for a party or to discuss business?”
A strange smile appeared on Zhang Long’s face. “Why would you ask that?”
“If it’s a party, isn’t it a little unfair to arrange women for you but no male models for us? There’s no alcohol, no music, and compared with the welcome party when we first arrived, this is rather shabby. Has the base run short of supplies?”
“But if this is a meeting, why are these people still here? Has our base already surpassed the Harbor Base and become the leading base in the country?”
“Are you all so relaxed that you can make arrangements while playing with women during a meeting?”
Those words were practically an outright provocation. Zhang Long and the other six people in charge all turned to look at Pei Ning.
By then, the widespread use of the pheromone formula was no longer a secret. Ordinary residents of the base might not know about it, but as one of the base’s core figures, Pei Ning naturally had access to information sources broad enough that she could not possibly be unaware of such a major development.
Yet her reaction was completely different from what they had expected.
There was no doubt that Pei Ning had lost her usefulness. But her identity itself could still be exploited to great effect.
In addition to feeling humiliated and enraged, Zhang Long and the others naturally intended to extract the maximum value from whatever remained of Pei Ning.
Pei Ning was no longer useful, but Guan Qian’s spatial ability and the research materials she had brought out still had value. Besides, the four powerful fighters who had defected with them might have poor relations with Pei Ning’s group, but the moment Pei Ning lost her usefulness, Zhang Long and the others had immediately revealed their vicious nature. It was difficult for those four not to feel a sense of shared vulnerability.
So everything had to proceed step by step: put pressure on Pei Ning until she became anxious and broke down on her own, desperately trying to prove her worth. Then they could use her identity as Pei Liang’s younger sister to draw out her sister’s psychological weaknesses—or hold her parents hostage, in a manner of speaking, to gain leverage over Pei Liang.
As for Guan Qian, she certainly wouldn’t remain unmoved while Pei Ning so completely devalued herself. She, too, would be thrown into a state of anxiety.
Put plainly, they had no intention of going too far with the two women openly. But neither woman would be leaving this room easily today.
Zhang Long and his companions had come with ill intentions, but they hadn’t expected Pei Ning to refuse to play by the rules from the very beginning.
Everyone looked at her with utter disbelief, as though she were a big-breasted, brainless idiot. Had she really failed to understand her situation?
Even Guan Qian had no idea what Pei Ning was thinking. Even if she was confident that her sister would protect her, she shouldn’t have been foolish enough to openly provoke Zhang Long.
After all, help from afar could not put out a fire nearby.
Seeing Pei Ning act as though everything were perfectly natural, the others finally realized that they couldn’t expect her to come to her senses on her own.
Zhang Long smiled. “We wouldn’t dare claim that we could overtake the Harbor Base. Originally, though, we did spend countless resources recruiting Miss Pei precisely for that purpose.”
“The base didn’t have much to begin with, and placing our hopes in Miss Pei was essentially an all-or-nothing gamble. Who could have imagined—ah!”
He sighed, feigning regret. “But Miss Pei, you don’t need to feel burdened by this. In the end, I was the one who made the decision as the base’s leader. If the strategy failed, that’s naturally my responsibility.”
“Now, all across the country—no, all over the world—there are cheap substitutes for Miss Pei. Those artificial pheromones may not be as easy to control as your ability, but they make up for it in quantity. They’re easier to manage and can be divided up for use.”
For example, Pei Ning alone could serve as only one source of attraction. But several pheromone devices were another matter entirely. They could divide a zombie horde into smaller groups and eliminate them one by one.
Tactically, that offered many more options and made combat far more flexible. So it wasn’t that Pei Ning was useless—it was simply that inanimate objects were more useful than she was.
How sad.
After Zhang Long finished speaking, a fairly handsome man by the bar, though with a treacherous glint in his eyes, laughed. “The boss is right. As for Miss Pei, she’s actually innocent.”
“We were the ones who rashly placed our hopes on a single woman. Now that those hopes have come to nothing, you must be feeling awful yourself. We asked you here merely to tell you not to pay attention to the gossip outside.”
That much was true. This damned base was nothing like the Harbor Base, which had restored the prosperity and polish of the pre-apocalypse world. This base operated according to the purest law of the jungle.
Order was chaotic, and people would do anything to survive. The one time Pei Ning had gone outside, not only had she been robbed, she had nearly been harassed as well. After all, not everyone in the base knew who she was.
After that, Pei Ning basically stopped going out. She lived in this building too, so her accommodations were naturally excellent, with every possible luxury—at least, they had been until today.
If she didn’t want to go outside, where would she have heard the rumors?
Besides, these people were rather amusing. Every sentence took responsibility upon themselves, and they repeatedly insisted that none of it was her fault.
But wasn’t this whole setup just like a company on the verge of bankruptcy, throwing out sky-high pay and equity in a last-ditch attempt to poach some expert, hoping that expert could save it from disaster?
Only to realize a couple of days later that the “expert’s” methods were no different from those generic, nine-yuan-nine hacks you could find all over the internet?
Any normal person would have been so ashamed after hearing that that smoke would practically be coming out of their head, wouldn’t they?
But Pei Ning wasn’t. Compared with the stimulation her sister had subjected her to, this was nothing.
She picked up an apple from the coffee table and smiled at the group. “Oh, I see. Then thank you for your concern, but I still have to say—you’re all being much too polite.”
“I’m not blaming myself.”
As she spoke, Pei Ning bit into the apple. The crisp crunch rang throughout the entire hall.
The hall was simply too quiet.
The hypocritical smiles finally faded from Zhang Long and the others’ faces. Their expressions as they looked at Pei Ning became increasingly baffled, and there were even faint signs of anger.
When they received the news, they had immediately taken their frustration out on Pei Ning. It was just that she was a woman—and now a useless one at that—so she couldn’t withstand the full force of their anger.
Besides, with so many considerations weighing on them, venting their fury on her would only be more trouble than it was worth.
But this shameless woman had no idea of her own situation and actually dared to put on such an arrogant act in front of them. Naturally, it displeased them.
Guan Qian frowned. Now she knew why she had felt uncomfortable ever since arriving at the Aolong Base.
It wasn’t only because all her plans had fallen through, or because of the frustration of not only failing to stab Pei Liang in the back but being thoroughly used by her. More than anything, it was because of how disgusting these people—Zhang Long and the others—were.
In truth, these men looked down on women. To them, women were nothing more than playthings. When women were useful, they could at least restrain themselves, but no matter how well a man concealed his arrogance, it would still inevitably leak out.
And now that Pei Ning had lost her value, they were putting on their self-important display of magnanimity and generosity.
Pei Ning’s arrogance naturally infuriated them. There was only one reason for it—
How dare this woman! How dare a mere woman!
The smile on Zhang Long’s face could only be described as insincere.
Only now did he realize how foolish it was to get tangled up with a woman over words, so he changed tack.
“Miss Pei just said that the party was a little shabby. That’s indeed the case. The base has been suffering from a severe shortage of supplies lately, and raw materials are scarce. There’s simply no way to resume production.”
Pei Ning and Guan Qian inwardly sneered when they heard this.
Before the apocalypse, this city had been a massive first-tier metropolis, and it even had its own grain reserves. There was also no shortage of food on the market.
Even without producing a single thing, the food stores alone would have been enough to sustain everyone in the base at a normal standard of living for two or three years.
And yet now, the ordinary people at the bottom of the base were short of both food and clothing. Getting two steamed buns a day was considered lucky, while those at the top lived extravagantly, with every luxury at their disposal.
And they still had the nerve to claim that the base was short on supplies?
Zhang Long continued, “Since Miss Pei no longer serves a purpose as a strategic weapon, it’s only natural that, in exchange for enjoying a standard of living far above that of ordinary people, you should make some contribution as well.”
“I wonder if Miss Pei has any thoughts on the matter?”
At that, Pei Ning put on an expression that said he had finally asked the right question. “You should’ve said so from the start. So it’s a shortage of food that’s keeping people from eating their fill? I thought you’d spent five years deliberately making the entire base tighten its belt.”
They had already come all the way here, yet she still dared to make snide remarks? One of the more hot-tempered men flew into a rage at once.
He cracked his knuckles loudly and moved in, intending to teach her a lesson before anything else.
But then he saw Pei Ning reach out toward Guan Qian. “Didn’t I give you a box before we came out? Give it to me.”
The box had a password, and only Pei Ning’s fingerprint could open it. Guan Qian had no idea what was inside.
At her words, she took it out and tossed it over.
Pei Ning caught the box and opened it. A gigantic mutated plant immediately burst out, filling the entire space in an instant.
Everyone was startled, assuming this was her means of protecting herself. They were just about to attack when Pei Ning’s voice rang out:
“Don’t get excited, don’t get excited. Take a good look at what this is.”
Once its branches and leaves spread apart, countless fruits appeared almost instantly—edamame pods as thick as human arms. Some of the pods were so enormous that their shells had split open, spilling out the beans inside.
Each bean was the size of a fist, and the entire room filled with a rich, fragrant scent.
Pei Ning said, “Soybeans are raw materials for making all kinds of food, aren’t they? Their abundant plant protein is enough to maintain the body’s basic functions.”
“Actually, quinoa would be even better. It’s just that I haven’t found any mutated quinoa yet.”
She said it all in such a casual tone, as though none of this were particularly remarkable.
But Zhang Long and the others had managed to command a base of millions. They were hardly fools.
The mutated soybean plant showed not the slightest sign of aggression. In fact, it even extended its leaves to affectionately brush against Pei Ning’s palm, acting like a domesticated pet.
But was this really a nonaggressive mutated plant? Obviously not. To put it simply, ninety-nine percent of the plants humans needed were aggressive toward humans.
The fine hairs covering the edamame pods were each as sharp as embroidery needles, gleaming with dense silvery light. And the plant kept regenerating, producing what seemed like an endless supply of beans.
It was easy to imagine how troublesome this mutated plant could be. Yet Pei Ning was saying it could be used as a raw material?
Zhang Long swallowed with difficulty. “Miss Pei, you—you can tame mutated plants now?”
Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting in utter silence for her answer.
The ability to tame mutated plants was far more astonishing than emitting pheromones that attracted zombies. It was an ability on an entirely different, bug-level scale.
Once it was confirmed, the Aolong Base would have a continuous supply of resources. It could take in ten or even a hundred times more people than it currently housed. Its size would surpass the Harbor Base in an instant, making it the true ruler of the apocalypse.
However, Pei Ning did not answer the question directly. Instead, she looked at the man who had cracked his knuckles earlier.
Her expression was innocent and puzzled. “Why were you cracking your knuckles before I spoke?”
The man hurriedly composed himself, an ingratiating smile instantly appearing on his face. “Nothing. My fingers just suddenly started itching.”
“Is that all?” Pei Ning’s gaze turned dangerous, her eyes pressing him hard.
Her intention was obvious.
Zhang Long knew exactly how to treat people according to the value they held.
With a wave of his hand, a transparent blade of air shot forward. The man’s wrist was severed instantly, and blood sprayed into the air.
The pain drew a muffled groan from him, but astonishingly, he did not cry out. That alone showed how fierce and hardened these people were.
Only after Zhang Long had finished everything did he turn back to Pei Ning. “There’s no need to bother with people who can’t read the room. Miss Pei, let’s get down to business.”
Pei Ning looked quite pleased and finally replied, “Of course. The essence of my pheromones comes from my ability to attract mutants. That is my true power. Pheromones are merely its most superficial manifestation.”
“ Attraction, affinity, and domestication.” As Pei Ning spoke, her expression grew arrogant. “My value in the apocalypse is absolute.”
“Don’t question my abilities just because you’ve seen only a few pheromone formulas. It would make me regret coming to such a short-sighted place.”
Zhang Long’s expression changed. He hurriedly dismissed the beautiful women around them, and his attitude toward both Pei Liang and Guan Qian instantly became even more cautious than it had been at the start.
When the two women finally emerged, surrounded like stars around the moon, everyone outside who had assumed that they would meet a miserable fate after losing their value—and who had envied them for supposedly receiving no special treatment—was left utterly dumbfounded.
Guan Qian regarded Pei Ning with mixed feelings. Just now, she had actually seen an aura in Pei Ning that was strikingly similar to Pei Liang’s.
But that was only natural. Pei Ning was now Pei Liang’s fervent worshipper. Her thought processes and methods had gradually begun to resemble the other woman’s. Her admiration made her want to become someone like Pei Liang, so of course they had inherited the same mannerisms.
This female lead no longer resembled the one from the original novel in the slightest.
Even after her abilities had been exposed and Chu Yebai had recognized her value, the original version of her had used those abilities solely for a man. She had absolutely none of this invincible, arrogant confidence.
Just as Guan Qian was thinking this, Pei Liang let out a long sigh of relief.
“Whew, putting on an act takes a lot out of you.”
“Those idiots had such an intimidating presence. Honestly, I was trembling inside. But you couldn’t tell, right? You really couldn’t tell, could you?”
“Did I look a little like my sister just now? Oh my god, no wonder my sister loves being wicked so much. It feels amazing!”
Guan Qian: “...You.”
Pei Ning waved her off. “Don’t worry. I was scared at first too, but now I feel like I could figure out how to take down this entire base by myself. My sister doesn’t even need to get involved with these idiots.”
Seeing her grow more and more brazen, Guan Qian asked, “You just gave away the secret of the mutant plants like that?”
Pei Liang replied, “Is there a problem?”
Guan Qian was speechless. These two sisters were unbelievable. One had promised before leaving that she would keep her safe, only to turn around and leak the pheromone formulas, causing her to lose her value and fall into danger.
And the other had immediately played her trump card: the mutant plants were edible, and Pei Ning could control them. Even Guan Qian had never known about that.
This discovery could directly help the Aolong Base expand several times over. It would certainly be disadvantageous to the Harbor Base.
Both sisters were stabbing each other in the back, yet they still had the nerve to call themselves utterly trusting, close-knit sisters?
As if she could read Guan Qian’s thoughts, Pei Ning smiled and said, “It’s fine.”
“My sister said that, no matter the reason, anything that can ease the survivors’ struggle to stay alive is a good thing. Since she sent me out here, she must have anticipated this day. That means she doesn’t care whether the Aolong Base grows stronger.”
“And besides, you don’t like this base either, do you?”
Guan Qian fell silent. She really didn’t like it. She had to admit that she’d taken too much for granted.
After the apocalypse, she had been protected far too well. First by her two older brothers and Gong Ran, and then, even after falling under Pei Liang’s control, she had never lacked food or clothing. Her missions had been easy, and the atmosphere at the base had been harmonious.
She had barely experienced the true cruelty of the apocalypse at all.
But when she arrived at the Aolong Base, she found a city that was bleak and filthy, with sharply divided social classes while the people at the top indulged in extravagant luxury.
Human lives were defined by hunger and numbness. Countless children had learned to steal, while men and women were willing to sell themselves for a packet of biscuits or a box of anti-inflammatory medicine.
It wasn’t that the base lacked supplies. It was that the supplies were hoarded by those in power, who were unwilling to share them with the “lower-class people”—those who had neither mutated abilities nor any use beyond physical labor.
The devastation laid bare before her had deeply shaken Guan Qian from the moment she arrived.
It wasn’t merely sympathy for her fellow human beings. It was also the attitude Zhang Long and the other leaders had taken toward her and the others.
In their eyes, no matter how lofty their promises were, they couldn’t conceal the contempt in their gaze.
And yet their eagerness today was almost laughable.
Guan Qian remembered the second day after Pei Liang had captured them. When Pei Liang looked at her, there had been none of the vile disdain one might expect toward a transmigrated woman who knew the plot in advance.
Nor had Guan Qian needed to flaunt her value like a peacock in order to receive decent treatment.
Pei Liang had simply, calmly and as a matter of course, handed over countless vital supplies and documents to her, and discussed with her the directions in which she could advance her abilities and the methods she could try.
It was as though Pei Liang had absolute confidence in her worth—more confidence than Guan Qian herself possessed.
Strictly speaking, the Aolong Base did indeed provide more luxurious food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
After all, even Pei Liang herself would never indulge in extravagance at the Port Base at the cost of exhausting its people and resources.
But when Guan Qian wore gorgeous clothes, ate exquisite food, and looked down from the windows, what she saw wasn’t a neon-lit cityscape, nor people hurrying home from work with eager anticipation, nor the hopeful smiles of those out spending money.
All she saw were gaunt, numb people. Every now and then, one of them would look up at the building, a trace of envy showing through their hatred.
Guan Qian realized that compared with such unchecked luxury, she seemed to enjoy meals that were perhaps less extravagant, but just as delicious, far more when she could eat them surrounded by warmth.
Her fixation on Gong Ran, and the resentment she felt over having him taken away—those stubborn little knots in her lovesick mind—had become utterly insignificant in the face of the suffering visible everywhere around her. She even felt ashamed of them.
Once she understood this, Guan Qian finally revealed a frank smile.
All right. Pei Liang had been right. She had never actually changed jobs, so she had made an incorrect assessment and ended up regretting it.
Fortunately, she wasn’t changing jobs now. She was merely going on a paid business trip. Thinking of it that way, she was actually rather looking forward to the Chanel room waiting for her when she returned—
Though compared with Chanel, she preferred Dior. She wondered if she could have it changed.
Guan Qian nodded and said to Pei Ning, “Now that supplies are arriving continuously, and with your pressure on them, the basic food supply for ordinary people at the base should be secured.”
“Starting tomorrow, they’ll definitely take us out with them to look for edible mutant plants. To make things easier when our base takes over later, we should talk to the people at that base tomorrow.”
“They’re close to this base, so they’d be perfect as a staging and transit point before an offensive, or as a storage site for weapons and supplies.”
Pei Ning was startled. “When did you get in touch with them? How come I didn’t know?”
Guan Qian gave a mysterious smile. “It’s a secret. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Seeing that, Pei Ning bumped her shoulder against Guan Qian’s, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. “When we get back, I’ll introduce you to some handsome guys.”
“You’ll discover just how great life is supposed to be for a rich, powerful woman.”
